Rage 2: How to Unlock the Charged Pulse Cannon

The Charged Pulse Cannon is a powerful, fun weapon, and it’s locked behind the most complex Ark in the game. Learn how to get through the Ark’s tough defenses in our guide.

The Charged Pulse Cannon is by far the most complicated weapon to unlock, but it’s worth the effort. This weapon has a fun gimmick that makes it more challenging to use than your standard arsenal, and it can cut through a room full of baddies in seconds when it really gets going. Before you get to that, though, you have to earn it.

You’ll find the Charged Pulse Cannon at the Shrouded Vault Ark in the southeast of the Dune Sea region. It’s a massive structure with Immortal Shrouded banners out front, so it’s impossible to miss. However, when you approach the door, you’ll find that you can’t open it yet. To get inside the building, you’ll first have to destroy two different power generators at heavily guarded facilities nearby.

The first generator you have to destroy is just to the northwest of the Ark, in Shrouded SubStation Alpha. There’s essentially nothing between the Ark and the Sub Station, so you can just run there or hop in a vehicle and head over. When you arrive, you’ll find a group of Immortal Shrouded guarding the facility. Take them out, then climb down the ladder near the massive front door that leads to an underground ventilation shaft. Follow this tunnel until you reach another ladder, then climb back up.

This will put you in an industrial area just behind the front door of the station. Flip the switch on the platform at the back of the room, which will raise the power generator from underground and open the front door, letting Immortal Shrouded soldiers flood in. Take them out, then turn to the rotating power generator in the center of the room. You can see three cores protected by metal shields. Remove the shields with your Focus ability, then blow up the cores. Each core will continuously shoot electricity once it’s destroyed, so you may want to remove all of the shields first, then destroy the cores.

With Shrouded Sub Station Ark dealt with, head south to Shrouded Sub Station Bravo. This is basically just a repeat of the first Sub Station, without all the Die Hard-esque vent crawling. Just like the first facility, you’ll have to fight a group of Immortal Shrouded outside, but then you can head through the front door. Make your way through the building until you reach the power generator. Again, flip the switch to activate it. This time, you won’t be attacked until you start destroying the cores, but otherwise, the process is exactly the same.

Once you’ve shut down both power generators, head back to the Shrouded Vault Ark. This is the toughest fight you’ll have in this whole process, but also the most straightforward. With the security system deactivated, you can walk right through the front door, where you’ll be immediately attacked by Immortal Shrouded. Take them out, then head up the elevator. You’ll find another big switch, when you can throw to open the path to the Ark in the next room and also tip off the room full of Immortal Shrouded to your presence. There’s a substantial force of Immortal Shrouded here, equipped with both swords and guns, so be ready for a fight. Don’t be afraid to use your powers and consumables, because you’ll get an extremely powerful weapon to use on the way out.

When the guards are all dead, you’re free to claim the Charged Pulse Cannon. It’s a quick-firing plasma rifle that works better once it gets heated up. You can use the main trigger to launch glowing balls of death, which heats the weapon up, and hold alternate fire to cool it down. Keeping it in its optimal heat range will let you fire continuously without ever needing to pause to reload.

You’ll have plenty of time to learn how to use it coming up. You’ll be attacked by another Immortal Shrouded squad once you leave the Ark, and a group of Authority mutants will attack with a powerful super soldier at the front door. They’re tough foes, but should be no match for your new toy.